Natural History

2006 Brazilian Geology2015 SOLD for $ 275K including premium

On June 7 in Dallas, Heritage sells the collection of tourmalines of a geologist. The four most important lots originate from the Pederneira Mine in Minas Gerais, where the collector endeavored to get a great sample from each pocket. Minas Gerais is named for its rich mines.

Tourmaline is a group of chemically stable silicate minerals whose crystals can reach large linear developments. Their color range is considerable. The colors of tourmalines depend on their chemical composition and on their impurities but also on their sensitivity to the radiation emitted by the granites.

The recently extracted tourmalines are kept on their natural bedrock which is often a quartz. With their long, multi-directional crystals and the beauty of their colors, nature has created works of art.

The four top lots have very dissimilar characteristics, to the delight of fans.

Blue on blue, lot 73105 estimated $ 500K, collected in 2001, is interesting by its two shades of blue but also because the growth of crystals in two contradictory ways, thin and stout, is a scientific curiosity.

Big beauty, lot 73100 estimated $ 450K, collected in 2006, is remarkable for the complexity of its colors and shapes.

Blastoff, lot 73114 estimated $ 450K, collected in 2004, includes six crystals, the longest measuring 18 cm. The two longest are perched like birds on their beautiful natural base of white cleavelandite.

The flower of Pederneira, lot 73099 estimated $ 300K, collected in 2000, offers an incredible network of secondary ramifications attached to the main crystal.

RESULTSLot 73100 SOLD for $ 275K including premium.Lots 73099, 73105 and 73114 are unsold.

1990 'Sue' the Tyrannosaurus1997 SOLD for $ 8.3M including premium by Sotheby's

2007 Battles of Giants in the Jurassic2011 SOLD 2.75 M$ including premium

PRE SALE DISCUSSION

The inhabitants of the Earth sometimes have difficulty in supporting one another. I take the example of a terrible battle that was fought in the Jurassic.

The techniques of discovery and excavation of fossilized dinosaur skeletons are improving, and recent findings supplement and amend our knowledge. It is a matter for professionals, of course. Wyoming is their preferred ground, for the abundance of such remains.

In spring 2007, researchers at International Dinosauria were excited by the discovery of an Allosaurus, whose dentition is well preserved. As they progressed in the recovery of bones of this flesh-eating dinosaur, they make a stunning and unprecedented discovery: a Stegosaurus skeleton is mingled with the bones of the Allosaurus.

There is little doubt that the animals killed one another 155 million years ago. Their corpses did probably fall into a river or were quickly buried by a mudslide, and the skeletons were not dispersed by other predators of the time.

It was anticipated that the dinosaurs were fighting. Grass-eating specimens were often the losers, as already shown by the bite of an Allosaurus in the neck plate of a Stegosaurus. But the discovery of two skeletons together was a considerable scientific novelty.

Both fossils are for sale in one lot, by Heritage in Dallas on June 12. The Allosaurus named Dracula is 6.30 m long and 70% complete. Fantasia, the Stegosaurus, is 5.40 m long and 75% complete.

POST SALE COMMENT​The two dinosaurs were sold together. I followed the event live on LiveAuctioneers. There was one bid at $ 2.3 million, covering the reserve price. With premium, that is $ 2.75 M.It is a remarkable price in its category, rewarding a unique group.

A video shared by Heritage and presented by Dinosauria International tells the discovery:

The Nightmare of the Nuit Blanche2010 SOLD 1.3 M€ including premium

PRE SALE DISCUSSION

Since 2002 in Paris, la Nuit Blanche (white night) is an annual cultural event during which activities are offered free to the public for much of the night.

With a remarkable sense of media, on Saturday, Sotheby's opens until midnight the exhibition of its sale of natural sciences. The auction itself will take place on October 5.

On this occasion, the comfortable room of Sotheby's will be occupied by one of those antediluvian horrors that excite both imagination of adults and passion of children: the fossil skeleton of a carnivorous dinosaur.

The happy tenant is an Allosaurus, which lived during the Jurassic 150 to 140 million years ago. Its species was a distant forerunner of the Tyrannosaurus, a very similar beast that began its long career in the Cretaceous, 50 million years later. The Allosaurus for sale is a large size specimen, 10 meters long, which further strengthens the comparison with Tyrannosaurus.

The auction house has not published an estimate, but several sources on the web announce the convincing figure of € 800K.

The famous Tyrannosaurus Sue was only 13 meters long, but was original to more than 90%.

POST SALE COMMENT​After being the star of the Parisian cultural news, this fossil skeleton grew higher than its estimate. It was sold € 1.3 million including premium.

2013 River Sediments in Wyoming2016 SOLD for € 1.13M including premium

The allosaurus was the king of its land during the Upper Jurassic period around 150 million years ago, but its geographical distribution was perhaps limited : most skeletons are excavated in Wyoming. The silting up of a river or a mudslide had buried these dinosaurs before the bodies were dislocated and the fossilized bones were kept in excellent condition.

The allosaurus has a remarkable similarity with its much later successor the tyrannosaurus but it is smaller. It has all the characteristics of the most formidable predators. The claws gripped and lacerated the prey and the 7 cm long teeth were curved backwards to prevent the victim from escaping. The very tall hind legs attest to its frightening power.

On June 12, 2011 Heritage sold for $ 2,75M including premium a group composed of an allosaurus and a stegosaurus whose bones were found intermingled, meaning that the carnivore and the herbivore had killed each other. This allosaurus named Dracula was 6.30 m long and 70% complete.

On October 5, 2010, Sotheby's sold for € 1,3M including premium an allosaurus 10 m long, which is very large for this species, also complete to 70%.

A new specimen named Kan found in 2013 in Wyoming will be sold by Aguttes in Lyon on December 10, lot 28. It measures 7.5 m and is also 70% complete. It is remarkable for the conservation of its skull with teeth still in place on the jaw and a very good articulation of the cervical vertebrae. Please watch the video in French shared by Art et Communication.

The Snake Necked Turtle2010 SOLD 457 K€ including premium

PRE SALE DISCUSSION

Formerly, reptiles dominated the planet. Their skeletons are now fossils, and provide fun to scholars and collectors.

The main quality of a fossil is to be complete. We have already admired in this group a marine reptile belonging to the order of the ichthyosaurs. The 5.40 meters long skeleton preserved at 90% for the skull and 75% for the rest of the body had been sold 180 K € including premium at Christie's on April 7, 2009 in Paris.

The specialized sale at Sotheby's, also in Paris, on October 5 includes rarities. In the release shared by Paul Fraser Collectibles, let us pass without stopping over the star of the sale, a brave flesh-eating dinosaur from Wyoming preserved at 70%, for discussing a plesiosaur announced as complete.

Shaped like a turtle without shell, this predator of the seas that lived 190 million years ago was a pioneer of hydrodynamics with the neck of a snake and the tail of a crocodile. The piece of Sotheby's, 3 meters long, is estimated 320K €.

It was found less than 20 years ago in England, the country where Mary Anning discovered the first plesiosaur in 1821.

Many skeletons presented in the sales appear to be recent discoveries. Perhaps finding techniques have been improved. The excavation techniques are certainly more effective than before for unearthing complete specimens.Fossil lovers, be prepared: this market will grow!

Skeletons considered as Artworks2009 SOLD 250 K$ including premium

PRE SALE DISCUSSION

On 16 April 2007, Christie's Paris introduced the fossil skeletons of large animals in the category of Fine Arts. The announcement made before the sale clearly expressed such an intent from the auction house, and the market followed. The mammoth skeleton of 4.80 m high sold 260 K € before fees (310 K € fees included) on an estimate of 100 K €, and the woolly rhinoceros of 4.10 m long sold 100 K € before fees (120 K € inclusive), doubling its estimate.

"On 16 April at Christie's, mammoth, woolly rhinoceros and cave bear became works of art. Amateurs and representatives of museums of natural history, and collectors of contemporary and classical art battled in auction in front of many astonished children in the attendance. "Said François Curiel, President of Christie's Europe, auctioneer of the sale.

Exactly one year later, Christie's Paris focused even bigger, with a triceratops skeleton of 7.5 m long. It was more difficult. The dinosaur was only about 70% complete, the remainder was moulded. Estimated € 500 K, it was not sold at the hammer, but Christie's found a buyer the next day to 590 K € inclusive.

Being complete is important for a fossil. This quality pushed a tyrannosaurus named Sue, 13 meters long, to $ 7.6 million before fees ($ 8.3 million charge included) at Sotheby's in New York on 4 October 1997.

Another triceratops is the star of the sale of Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas on January 18. There is only the skull of it, but it is 93% complete and 2 meters long. The three horns are great and make me think to a bull disguised as a rhino. The lower jaw is remarkable. The catalog tells us that the brain cavity was very small.

This object estimated to be 68 million years old was unearthed in a ranch in Montana. It lacked a horn, but it is possible that the animal had broken it in his lifetime, as experts believe seeing traces of healing. It has been reconstituted.

This triceratops skull is estimated 240 K $.

POST SALE COMMENT

The result is excellent: $ 250 K including premium, in the region of the low estimate.

A few days earlier, Maynards sold in Vancouver another triceratops skull for 60 K Can$. Without doubt it was less complete.

Skeletons of Mammoth​2017 SOLD for € 550K including premium

The largest species of terrestrial mammals did not survive climatic changes. Their champion was the baluchitherium, a rhino up to 4.80 m high at the shoulders that went extinct 23 million years ago.

The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) occupies a special place in our imagination. Our ancestors painted its image on the walls of the caves. Its morphology is very close to the Asian elephant but is distinguished by the extension of the tusks used for catching food by burying the snow.

Among the extinct species the woolly mammoth is of the utmost interest in contemporary biology. The discovery of frozen bodies with a well preserved DNA makes hope for a regeneration of the species.

On December 16 in Lyon, Aguttes sells the skeleton of a large specimen of Mammuthus primigenius, lot 55 estimated € 450K. It is 3.40 m high including its straight head, 5.40 m long and 80% complete. Its beautiful tusks preserved at 90% are curved without being symmetrical for a linear length of 3.32 m and 3 m and a weight close to 80 Kg each. It was collected in Siberia.

The detailed inspection provides information on the medical history of this old male who probably died of a necrosis of the lower mandible that no longer enabled him to eat.

The 90 % complete skeleton sold on November 26, 2014 for £ 190K including premium by Summers Place was a male of similar size but shorter tusks. Among the specimens whose preservation rate and tusk size were not available in the catalog, let us remind Le Président that sold for € 310K including premium at Christie's on April 16, 2007 and another skeleton sold for € 240K including premium by Sotheby's on October 2, 2012.

A Mammoth in Sussex2014 SOLD for £ 190K including premium

The woolly mammoth, a species met by humans and extinct about 4000 years ago after 8000 years of gradual decline, is the best known of prehistoric animals since corpses have been found in ice.

On November 26 in Billingshurst in West Sussex, Summers Place sells a skeleton 90% complete, lot 92 estimated beyond £ 150K. Here is the link to the site of the auction house.

Smaller than its predecessors, the woolly mammoth has the size of a big elephant. The skeleton for sale, 3.50 m high, is certainly a male: females were smaller. The tusks of the mammoth, on the opposite, were longer than the elephant's. Those of the specimen for sale have an inner curve of 2.40 m and are in excellent condition. The animal lived in Eastern Europe, perhaps 10,000 years ago.

A skeleton of Siberian mammoth was sold for € 240K including premium by Sotheby's on October 2, 2012.

I invite you to play the video shared by Daily Mail to announce the mammoth of the next sale:

1865 The Lazy Pigeon of the Indian Ocean2016 SOLD for £ 346K including premium

In 1598 Dutch sailors are visiting Mauritius with an intention of colonization. The dodo is quite abundant. It looks like a fat and nonchalant turkey. Early settlers call it walgvogel meaning repugnant bird.

That new bird arouses some curiosity in Europe, without triggering a scientific analysis. When it became evident about one hundred years after its discovery that the species was extinct, all reliable information had also disappeared. The stuffed specimens had rotted. Descriptions made by travelers and the rare drawings could be questioned.

The dodo is probably the result of a trans-ocean migration of pigeons about ten or twenty million years ago. The vegetation was abundant on this isolated island and they had no predators. Over the generations the species changed. The bird became bigger and the wings were atrophied, making it impossible to escape when men came bringing with them pigs, monkeys, cats and dogs that ate the beasts and their eggs.

In 1865 a schoolmaster is allowed to search in a bog. The result meets the expectations : the bones are abundant, probably following an ancient flood which had engulfed simultaneously a large quantity of birds. A few bones were sent to English zoologists and the rest of the collection was auctioned in London by J.C. Stevens.

Most dodo bones available on the market come from the Stevens sale. Important discoveries have been made since 2005 but their export is prohibited.

For four decades a collector bought bones of dodo in order to create a skeleton as complete as possible. It managed it up to 95% with a part of the skull and a set of claws being the only missing elements. This composite skeleton is estimated over £ 300K for sale by Summers Place in Billingshurst (West Sussex) on November 22, lot 81. Here is the link to the website of the auction house.

1965 The Stuffed Movie Star2010 SOLD 266 K$ including premium

PRE SALE DISCUSSION

On July 14 in New York, Christie's will sell a movie star, who also was a hero of the Second World War.

Dead of old age in 1965 on the eve of his 31st birthday, the horse Trigger had accompanied the cowboy Roy Rogers in all his movies during two decades. He participated in many shows, some of which being organized to finance the war effort.

Having become inseparable from his rider in the popular enthusiasm, he was a unique beast. Roy needed no spurs nor reins to guide him, and he could execute a hundred tricks such as counting, untying a rope, knocking on a door or shooting a gun.

Roy made him naturalized in his iconic position, rearing up on its hind feet, and so Trigger went on for four decades to be a star in the museum dedicated to the memorabilia of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. The closure of the museum brings a new stage to that show animal: an auction room. It is estimated $ 100K.

POST SALE COMMENTIt takes sales with picturesque lots to maintain the public interest. The Rogers - Evans sale was outstanding on this point, and the results of the two main lots are excellent.

Trigger himself has been sold $ 266 K, and Roy Rogers' saddle 386 K $. These prices include fees.